Today was a special day because I got to chat with my best friend from childhood, Emma Shaffer. Emma is a part time marketing consultant as she makes a career change into teaching Elementary School and is a single mom of 1. She, like myself, grew up in Truckee, CA and now lives and works just across the state line in Reno, Nevada. Emma is one of the strongest mothers I know, and I am so fortunate to be able to do this whole parenting thing with her, so I’m so excited to share her story with all of you!

In her episode we chat about:

Being a single mom juggling school and work during postpartum

Being induced just a day or two before her school semester started

Juggling staying in college when she was postpartum with Otto

The challenges of exclusively pumping

The benefits of a flexible school schedule with little babies

Her experience with Postpartum Anxiety around 9 months

Struggling to connect with her baby for the first couple months and the feelings of not being able to share this with other people

This episode of the Postpartum Podcast is sponsored by ICON UNDIES. Did you know that 1 in 3 women experience little bladder leaks when they run, jump, sneeze, or laugh? This is especially true for new moms. But because of Icon, You don’t have to worry! Their undies feel like a regular, beautiful pair of underwear, but can hold up to 6 teaspoons of liquid without the bulky, bunchy plasticy feel of a pantyliner. Icon is also offering listeners of the podcast $5 off your order with code postpartum at checkout.

Today’s episode is also sponsored by Ecocentric Mom. Pregnancy & new motherhood are the most thrilling times in any woman's life. - but they can also be the scariest. We're overwhelmed with information about what products are safe & effective for ourselves and our babies. Ecocentric Mom helps you navigate those choices by delivering monthly discovery boxes of products to help you care for yourself and your growing family. Each month subscribers receive organic, natural or handmade products and lifestyle accessories chosen just for your stage of motherhood - from pregnancy to postpartum and beyond. Podcast listeners are invited to use code POSTPARTUM10 to receive a 10% lifetime discount on your subscription.

Today I had a great time talking with Jessica Turner of The Mom Creative, author of The Fringe Hours: Making Time for You and creator of the Stretched Too Thin E-Course for Working Moms. Additionally, she is an an award-winning marketing professional and freelance writer. She has been featured in numerous media outlets including The Today Show, O Magazine, Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens and Inc.com. She and her husband, Matthew live with their three young children in Nashville, Tennessee.

In her episode we talk about:

How she juggles 3 kids, working full time and her side creative projects

Her experience with bed rest and tiny 6 week maternity leave with her first

Her Book, The Fringe Hours and how she released it 6 weeks after her third child was born

The importance of self care!

All of the good and hard things are both just a season. Changes are fast and real in the first year.

Don't forget about your spouse/partner!

How meal trains can support more than just your physical nourishment

Tips for going back to work for working moms, specifically

And of course, the importance of making time for yourself in the long run.

This episode of the postpartum Podcast is sponsored by ICON UNDIES. Did you know that 1 in 3 women experience little bladder leaks when they run, jump, sneeze, or laugh? This is especially true for new moms. But because of Icon, You don’t have to worry! Their undies feel like a regular, beautiful pair of underwear, but can hold up to 6 teaspoons of liquid without the bulky, bunchy plasticy feel of a pantyliner. Icon is also offering listeners of the podcast $5 off your order with code postpartum at checkout.

You can find the show wherever you find your podcasts, or stream it here.

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Today was such a fun episode. Kelsey and Sarah are two of my most favorite ‘internet friends.’ We are such kindred spirits, and I always find myself turning to them for Working Mama Advice so I wanted to have an episode solely dedicated to talking about being a working mom during postpartum and beyond.

A little bit more about Sarah: Sarah is a wife, mother of three, and writer, blogger at sarahrosemary.com, and podcaster living outside DC. She also teaches group exercise classes and provides social media, marketing, web design, and communications work.

A little bit more about Kelsey: Kelsey is a writer, podcaster and full time working mom. She lives in Gilbert, Arizona with her husband and two young boys. She works full time as a science writer for Arizona State University and pursues other creative projects outside of work including two podcasts (The Girl Next Door Podcast and Matrimoney) and writing her personal blog atrisingshining.com

In the episode we talk about:

·How Sarah has made part-time working work for her family

·How Kelsey decided to stay in the work force full time when she had her kids because she had just started an awesome new job that she loved

·How our parental leave policies are ridiculously short

·Part of making creative work possible is prioritizing and what we “don’t do”

·Ways to fit in Self Care – (Hint, we are all 3 early birds)

·The danger of comparison or “grass is always greener” in the social media age

·That we need to talk more about the positives of working motherhood, not just the downsides

Also, check out the two articles Kelsey sent me about working motherhood here and here.

This episode of the Postpartum Podcast is sponsored by Earth Mama Angel Baby. Earth Mama Angel Baby has been safely nurturing pregnant women and babies for over a decade with trusted, certified organic and natural herbal products formulated to support the entire journey of childbirth, from pregnancy through postpartum recovery, breastfeeding, and baby care, and even baby loss. Listeners can get 20% off your order with the code "Postpartum20" at checkout.